"Maybe I Should Just Give Up!"

A re-worked page from my quirky and troubled escapologist character, The Curious Chancer and his debut in the short Special Performance story from my own M56 JUNCTION COMICS.  

The story touches on our own expectations and those placed on ourselves by others and the difficulty sometimes in how these are or aren't met. This can be particularly true for all those in a creative or performance field where  often unexpected and hidden challenges can keep you from meeting those expectations.......

I love comics that can have different interpretations and maybe a 'deeper meaning' if you choose to read them that way. Comics can be a very powerful medium and a re-reading of your favourites can often be rewarding and reveal something below the surface of the main story.

My comics are currently only available direct from me - see convention appearances on the right, or from contacting or visiting Scott's Pops & Comics comic shop in Warrington, UK.

Don't look back in anger!

Well one of us had the 'hump' last year!

Happy New Year all, can't believe it's 2023 already! Last year just flew by with an especially busy last few months meaning things rather crept up on me, but we're here now.

The year end can be a time of reflection and with several unscheduled trips to Scotland I'd plenty of time for that accompanied by a fine soundtrack on the car stereo - The Associates, Bowie, Marillion, Gerry Rafferty, Waterboys, Scott Walker keeping my thoughts company.

All in all, I'm fairly happy with how the comic year panned out, despite the demise of our Accent UK comic publishing collective. Sad and unexpected as this was, I was determined not to give up and to carry on with the events and festivals already committed to, buoyed by the many messages of support received. 

Thankfully comic sales were strong and I was flattered by the many encouraging comments about my art style and story themes - one kind chap at a busy London MCM Comic-Con sought me out to say how much my World War 2 story had touched him to the degree he'd brought the comic into work to show and discuss with his colleagues as an example of not knowing what people you meet are going through or have experienced. I was a bit overwhelmed by this to be honest but very grateful he'd taken the time to share with me.

A panel From Moments Vol. 2's 'Smokes' story

It just shows that you never know how your work will be received or what it means to people and I certainly encourage you to pass on your own positive words of support to your favourite comic creators as you may just say the right thing at the right time to help them through a difficult period as this chap had done to me when I had been at a low ebb.

Most of my creative time had gone into producing new art prints and unique watercolour character sketches for my comic packs and while the prints were only a modest success, I struggled at times to keep up with demand for the character sketches which was gratifying.

Positives aside, I won't deny there were a lot of challenges being a newly independent solo artist, particularly at larger events. I think I'd forgotten how logistically tough they could be and again was grateful for the offers of assistance and support received. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself and your work out there, riding the rollercoaster of rejection and praise and I was reminded of the respect all artists should receive for just being there, following their passion, regardless of whether their work is to your taste or not.

I've already a few events lined up this year as I continue my creative journey with it becoming increasingly clear that people are eager for my new material so I'm pleased to say that in-between everything else going on that things are happening - watch this space!

Viking Comics and Cheese!

Just finished reading Rob Jackson's latest delightful comic, 'Ragnar The Cheesemonger'!

I've known and been a fan of Rob's work for many years now with his French revolution set 'Cafe Le Guillotine' (from 2006?) being the first to attract my attention and I've been a fan of his storytelling ever since. He's amazingly prolific, usually producing 2 or 3 titles a year and always has a project or two on the go, putting most of us indie creators to shame.

Ragnar is his new one, set in Viking times and at 52 b&w pages is quite the epic, but Rob being true to form concentrates his tale on an ordinary fellow, a cheesemonger, who through no real fault of his own finds himself trapped in a potentially deadly situation.

The Fighting ground where Ragnar may meet his destiny

Told in Rob's easy engaging style, Ragnar doesn't disappoint with its moments of tension, humour and absurdity which makes for an entertaining read. If you've not sampled his work before this makes a great starting point and can be purchased for only £6 including UK postage from his shop here -while there, why not take an inexpensive gamble on any of his other titles for a refreshingly honest and rewarding approach to comic making!

For updates on Rob's comic activities, also see his blog or follow the link from my site, enjoy!

Accent UK Recognised!

 
One thing that Dave and I worry about at Accent UK Towers is whether we do enough to shout about our books and raise our talented creators profile, it ain't easy and not a terribly British thing to do, we usually take the view then that quality will (eventually/hopefully!) be recognised and someone else will raise our profile for us, which is why we're always grateful when someone takes the time to review our titles or give us a mention somewhere.

Imagine my surprise and delight therefore when catching up after the Christmas festivities, I see that word is getting out there and respected indie comics blogger and reviewer Patrick Scattergood, gives an honourable mention to Tales of WesterNoir #1 in his 2015 Best Comic Book Awards list, making Stephenson's Robot #1 his runner-up! Not only this but WesterNoir Book 5 (and Andy Bloor's Midnight Man) get honourable mentions in the Best Graphic Novel Awards category too!

Check out Patrick's comments and the fine company our book's keep in his always interesting blog, Curiosity Of a Social Misfit here and here!

Shortly after reading this Paul Miranda kindly drew our attention to Accent UK's inclusion in the Canada based Comix Asylum website's Directory of Current Comic Book Publishers! This is an unexpected recognition of our status as we find ourselves listed alongside Dave Sim's Aardvark, AdHouse, Abrams books and many more! Check out the full list on Comix Asylum's site here.

These in themselves may be 'small' things but when you're working in pretty much of a vacuum it is validation of sorts that your books are being seen and you are regarded as an established presence, so thanks to both Patrick and Paul and their websites and if you've enjoyed what you've seen this year just wait till you see what Accent UK has to offer in 2016!!